We weren't really scared going into the trial. Earning money proved tough while he was still a convicted felon, so he saved up for a ring doing yard work and other odd jobs. He's determined to. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. #28. Leander, TX. Brydon said. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. "You had no idea who I was after my conviction," Kelley saidin court on the day of his exoneration. All 10 FBS commissioners are unanimous in their support for three proposed rules changes that aim to shorten the length of college football games, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN. We got to premiere this documentary months before it came out and, sitting there with my family, reliving six years of heartache in a documentary that's about five hoursI mean, there's no words to explain it.". Greg Kelley went from a football hero to a wrongfully convicted sex offender sentenced to 25 years without parole. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." And I don't take it for granted. I myself was losing hope, but all these people started believing in me and they started to say, 'Hey, Greg, we're here for you man, we love you, we're gonna get you through this.' Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. District Judge Donna King recommended in December 2017 that Kelley's conviction be overturned, writing in her decision that the state wouldn't have been able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt ifcertain evidence that had come to light since had been presented at trial. He practiced with the team in 2020, but didn't see action in the shortened 2020 season because of a groin injury. Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. The lawsuit states that the investigation for his case was incompetent, in bad faith and fundamentally flawed and that he is seeking monetary damages for mental anguish, emotional distress, and the impairment of his reputation, among other things. Gregory has since also founded a company by the name of Tomahawk Targets, which makes custom axe throwing boards and corn hole sets, and has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Cedar Park and several of its officers for his wrongful conviction. A second boy also came forward but later recanted his accusation against Kelley. Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who was legally exonerated last November following a wrongful conviction in 2014 in a child sexual assault case, has signed with Eastern Michigan on a football scholarship. His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. We had to fall in love with each other's hearts through these letters.". He was convicted and sentenced the following year. It's crazy! The prime suspect now is Kelley's high-school friend, whose parents owned the house where Kelley was staying in 2013 as both his parents were battling illnesses. ", He added, "The heartache and division it has created in our town is something that should never happen. He's currently enrolled as a student atthe University of Texas at Austin,KVUEreports. Kelley'sconviction wasvacated in November 2019. "I've got nothing but work ethic right now," Kelley said. But while that was the outcome Kelley had been praying for, his life hasn't simply snapped back to normal. Kelley's case is the subject of "Outcry," a five-hour Showtime documentary series released in July that focuses on his conviction and the six-year attempt to overturn it. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops says transfer QB Devin Leary, who had season-ending surgery in 2022 for a pectoral injury, is "close to full go" for the Wildcats. 'sJust the Sip, available wherever you get your podcasts. But, he added, "I want justice." "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. Kelley signed with Eastern because of a prior relationship with defensive coordinator Neal Neathery, who got Kelley to commit to Texas-San Antonio when he was on the staff there. It unfolds with astonishing and incomprehensible details of how poorly the case was handled by the district attorneys office and police department and relies heavily on the support that rose up around for the accused. If GK could get through all the things he had to get through - getting cleared and then getting into the University of Texas - Id bet everything on him to do what it takes to earn the right to put on that Texas jersey. [4], Pat Kondelis is also the director of Disgraced, a 2017 Emmy Award winning Showtime documentary about the 2003 murder of Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the attempted, related cover-up of NCAA violations rampant in the Baylor basketball program by Coach Dave Bliss. "I have nothing but gratitude for people that saved me from that injustice.". The last football game Kelley played was in the Texas state playoffs. He attended a tryout in February but was informed this month that Texas will not be adding any new players to the roster this fall. He was unable to definitively conclude who the perpetrator was, but he had three suspects: Kelley, Johnathan McCarty and an unnamed third person. ", He calls his wife, Gaebri Anderson, "totally unreal," adding, "I don't think there's a woman out there that can compare to the amount of heart and faith she hasI would be a damn fool to ever try to let that go. "Picked up my long overdue high school diploma yesterday at Leander High School," he wrote on Instagram. "Being labeled a pedophile is worse than murder," Kelley explained. After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. As a teenager, his high school football hero status and promising future quickly evaporated when he was falsely accused of being a child molester. Greg Kelleys life has not been simple. I myself was losing hope, but all these people started believing in me and they started to say, 'Hey, Greg, we're here for you man, we love you, we're gonna get you through this.' wife Gaebri, who supported him throughout the whole ordeal, before his conviction was officially vacated while she attended the Broadway Dance Center. And I believe you should do the thing that makes you happy and gives you peace. I hit the jackpot. Binge These True Crime Shows and Documentaries, He was convicted in 2014 of super-aggravated assault on a child and sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2013, in the sprawling Texas suburbs of Leander, north of Austin, a standout high school football star by the name of Greg Kelley was charged for the sexual assault of two children, under the age of 5, who attended the daycare in the home where he was living. Not everybody who gets falsely accused ever gets to see the other side of justice. In the fall, after signing with Eastern Michigan, Kelley told The News, "I feel like I'm a 19-year-old kid again.". News. "We believe that much of Greg's youth has been taken away from him and we want to give him the opportunity to live out his dream of playing Division I football," Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said Saturday. She maintained in 2017 that the defense she went witharguing that no abuse had occurredwas her best available option at the time based on the evidence. Kelley has since received a wrongful-conviction settlement from the state of Texas, and is suing the police department that targeted him from the beginning and never looked at other suspects. "Hes a young inspiring entrepreneur," Brydon told Oxygen.com. "Imagine not being able to kiss or hug the person you love. He tried out and is still waiting on a decision from the coaches.". Kelley was enrolled at Texas and was preparing to try to walk on the football team, but right as that was about to happen, COVID-19 hit, and Texas halted the walk-on program. Because the child was so small, they moved forwarded immediately and arrested Greg Kelley, the only known Greg who had been at that house. "We think he's going to be a really good player.". Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! News. It gave me a little bit more hope. We're running a new-subscriber special. The state of Texas isn't known for revisiting criminal convictions, yet his was thrown out. While committed to UTSA, Kelley was arrested in 2013 during his senior year on allegations of sexual abuse. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who was legally exonerated last November following a wrongful conviction in 2014 in a child sexual assault case, has signed with Eastern Michigan on a football scholarship. It was definitely hard. Kelley. I had friends since I was a baby who were saying, 'I can't believe you are sticking by him.' "We believe that much of Greg's youth has been taken away from him and we want to give him the opportunity to live out his dream of playing Division I football," Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said Saturday, per ESPN. In 2013, Greg Kelley, a high school football star, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a four-year-old. News. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "Trying to go recreate a case involving small children years later, memories fade, change and its just almost impossible to go back and actually do justice in that case," he continued, explaining how a flawed prosecution can rob victims of true justice. Hefiled a lawsuit against Cedar Park earlier this year for his wrongful conviction, theStatesman reportedin March. Into Greg Kelley's senior year in Leander, Texas, he was arrested, convicted, and jailed for sexual assault of a four-year-old boy, and later for a second child, who both attended day care in the home where Kelley was living. Before he was incarcerated, he was verbally committed to play safety for the University of Texas at San Antonios football team, which meant that he had to have been really good. 6-keys: media/spln/collegefootball/reg/free/stories, at Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. That case is pending. WebA five-part documentary series examining the gripping story of high school football star Greg Kelley who was arrested, convicted and jailed for sexual assault of a 4-year-old Saying things they can't and they won't take back and, still to this day, I continue to get persecuted, and it breaks my heart. How much did Kelly Gregg weigh when playing? There was no way he was going to get convicted on the evidence they didn't have. Kelley said that of course children should have fierce advocates and they are generally doing important work. Kelleys own attorney, Patricia Cummings, ignored the evidence pointing to McCarty, as did Cedar Park police detective Chris Dailey, and Kelley was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison with no parole. Dan Graziano reports from the NFL combine on the possible repercussions Jalen Carter could face from the league. If youre that sure he did it youll give him no jail time, but if he is that adamant about not pleading guilty, youll give hima 25 year sentence?" Court documents filed by Hamptonin December 2018 stated that they also had athird suspect, whose name was not made public,who hada prior arrest on a charge of indecency with a child and had also lived in the home where the abuseallegedly took place. Though he may be 25, there's some belief that he could make a legitimate impact on the field. I want to close this the right way.". An attorney for Cummings told theAmerican-Statesmanthatshe didn't have any evidence against this third person when she was on the case, but "it is significant that they are now saying that he is the one who did this. Kelly Gregg is 6-0 (183 cm) tall. Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who had his 2014 conviction in a child sexual assault case overturned due to a faulty investigation, will play Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. "Being labeled a pedophile is worse than murder," Kelley explained. Kelly Gregg weighed 320 lbs (145 kg) when playing. [1] Kelley was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no possibility for parole. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. The legal team also filed documents naming an alternate suspect, Johnathan McCarty. ", Shawn Dicktold reporters a few weeks later, "Wewere able at least to get to the truth of whether or not Greg Kelley should have been convicted and whether or not the trial was held appropriately. We got to premiere this documentary months before it came out and, sitting there with my family, reliving six years of heartache in a documentary that's about five hoursI mean, there's no words to explain it.". Unfortunately, we were unable to get to the ultimate answer of what happened to the child. After he was convicted, a crowd of supporters surrounded him but a cloud of uncertainty about his future continued to follow as shown in a new docuseries about the flawed case against him and his eventual freedom. Furthermore, the filing also alleged, Cummings had previously represented this third suspect in another matter and therefore refrained from investigating that person as well. However, he did not see any game action last season. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Furthermore, an investigator used questionable tactics to interview the children. Based on the boys outcry, the police suspected that the incident occurred on July 12. Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee, along with Miami (Ohio) athletic director David Sayler and Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen. ", But though Kelley is committed to holding the parties he feels are responsible for damaging his life"financially, emotionally, mentally, physically"accountable, he told E! I was still convicted. From the first day in my heart, I knew he didn't do this." But Kondelis said he's done nothing more rewarding than Showtime's "Outcry," a five-part series that was released in June and tells the story of Eastern Michigan's newest football player, Greg Kelley. Kelley fought the charges but was convicted in 2014 of two counts of super aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years in prison. "It breaks my family's heart because I don't deserve that, they don't deserve that. I want to be free. ", Catch Justin Sylvester's interview with Greg Kelley on the Aug. 19 episode of E! As "Outcry" points out, McCarty's initial lawyer was close friends with the McCarty family and she declined to look at himas a potential subject. His story was the subject of the hit Showtime documentary, "Outcry," which Eastern Michigan officials watched before signing off on the scholarship offer. "You really start looking at Greg and realize not only can this kid move well, he'll probably play on Saturdays at a big-time program," Hills said. it took a tirelessadvocate, an unconvinced lawyer and an opened-minded district attorney to take up the case, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Another Hail Mary, interestingly, got him to this point convicted and sentenced to 25 years without the chance of parole in 2014, it took a tirelessadvocate, an unconvinced lawyer and an opened-minded district attorney to take up the case, eventually unearthing a shoddy and unethical police investigation and inadequate legal representation the first time around. 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